Shattered goals

So when I took this job at Bolthouse I thought to myself, "Okay, nobody here knows you (with the exception of Catherine, who is my mom's age, so it doesn't count). Nobody has to know what a nerd you are if you don't want them to! They won't pick on you like everybody else in the world does!"

It turns out that I do have a sign taped to my back that says, "Please pick on me," because it wasn't even a week and the teasing had already started. I think I'm going to have to accept that I bring this on myself, and I think I'm okay with it.

But I did hide a good deal of my nerdiness from my co-workers. I did not once mention Gemstone. I often mentioned my love of soccer and sports. One place that my nerdiness came out was in my discussion of movies, but even this was disguised. The only games I mentioned were when Xboxing was brought up by another memeber of the sales team, and I never mentioned Gemstone or anything that would give me away. Until today, that is.

A guy I work with is going to be in Las Vegas this weekend, where I will also be. So I decided to ask him, "Why are you going to Vegas? Just because?" The resulting conversation went something like this:

Joe: Is there another reason to go?
Becca: Well, I can think of one (thinking that they would remember the reason I'm going is soccer). long pause Soccer.
Everybody: Oh yeah.
David: I was thinking you were going to say something like a video game conference.
Everybody: Haha. Do they even have those?
Meanwhile I'm not saying anything and go back to work
David: They do, don't they.
Becca: not liking where this is goingWell, yeah. It's called Vegascon. But I haven't been!

So this wasn't turning out very well, but I didn't think it could get worse. Then I decided to try to explain that it wasn't a video game conference, but an online game conference (I've made the hugest little mistake). So I said, "Well, it's actually not a video game, but an online MUD." When asked what a MUD was, I responded, which promptly caused the person sitting next to me to almost die of laughter.

When I finally got her to calm down enough to explain what was so funny, she told asked me if I play D & D, to which I responded, "Well, no," but apparently I wasn't convincing enough, because she started laughing more. I told her, "I have never played D&D in my life, although I've played many games that are based on it, but all in an electronic form."

She told me that the people from her high school who played D&D were the types of kids who wore capes to school. To which I responded (without thinking), "Oh, well I have a cloak and a cape."

This was the last straw, and she had to go get a tissue to mop up the streaming tears from laughter. When she finally got back, I assured her that, yes, I really do have a cloak, and that I have worn it at times other than Halloween, mostly at camp and when filming movie, though. This seemed to calm her down a bit, but I've officially lost my lack of "nerdiness" here at work.

Oh well, it had to happen sooner or later.